Disposable, flexible containers are widely used in many different applications for holding a wide variety of products. Such containers include bags of various materials and dimensions formed from a web or blank of a barrier material that may be cut, folded or otherwise formed, as well as sealed using adhesives, heat or a combination of such systems.
Some of the most widely used barrier materials are papers, paper composites or other paper-based materials. Such paper-based materials can be formed, treated, laminated or otherwise converted into effective barrier materials useful for containing and holding both dry and liquid products, and products with both liquid and solid characteristics. For the purposes herein, such paper-based barrier materials will be referred to as "paper" materials, which includes various paper products; laminated paper products; and combinations of paper with polymeric materials (such as polypropylenes, polyesters, acetates and polyethylenes), foils, and other non-paper materials.
The compact size, relatively low cost and variety of potential shapes and sizes of paper bag containers provide a great variety of applications for such containers, and certain designs and constructions have become specialized to suit particular end uses. For example, in the food industry, paper bag containers are particularly useful for holding and transporting a wide variety of food products. In one specific example, paper bags are very useful in the transport and sale of pre-cooked and prepared retail foods, such as take out deli foods, chicken products, sandwiches and the like. In some instances, it is desirable to utilize the printable surface of paper bag containers to provide the bags with decorative printed patterns, marketing messages, food preparation instructions and other indicia which enhances the bag containers' utility to end users. In addition, certain printable polymeric materials (such as polypropylenes, polyesters, acetates and polyethylenes) which also can be folded or formed, and sealed with adhesives, heat or other such processes have found utility as barrier materials for similar bag containers in such applications.
One result of the popularity of such bag containers is an emphasis on unique and innovative bag designs for specific uses or purposes. Another result is an increase in the competitiveness of the bag container market. As a result, a premium is placed on cost efficient bag manufacturing processes and products, customer satisfaction with bag containers' performance, and the flexibility of bag products for multiple, general and specialized uses. Moreover, commercially effective paper bag container designs must demonstrate the potential for innovative applications of aesthetic decorations, graphic design, marketing communication and marketing promotion concepts.
Examples of efforts to provide commercially suitable paper bag containers are shown in Riseman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,756 (the "Riseman patent"), and the other references mentioned in the Riseman patent, (see Col. 1, lines 11-17). Other examples are shown in the published UK Patent Application, GB 2,074,541 (the "'541 UK Application"), and Faltynek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,845 (the "Faltynek patent"). Those references disclose paper bag containers with various forms of tear off or otherwise removable sections that may be printed with promotional, advertising, discount coupons or other such important marketing or sales information. References such as the Riseman and Faltynek patents recognize the advantages of a removable section that does not compromise the containers' barrier wall when it is separated from the bag container.
Aspects of prior designs, however, have one or more features that affect their usefulness in certain applications and for certain specialized purposes. For example, bag container products with partially attached sections, flaps or other readily detachable portions that have free or easily detachable edges may present inefficiencies when used with high speed automated handling, sorting, insertion or packaging equipment. Such partially attached or readily separable flaps, at times, have the potential to become wrinkled, folded, torn or otherwise damaged in such applications.
The partially attached or readily separable flaps, at times, have the potential to cause equipment jams or other stoppages or inefficiencies in automated, high speed handling equipment. Attempts to apply adhesives in small, defined areas of a bag to tack down and temporarily hold flap-like removable sections, such as disclosed in the '541 UK Application, have not adequately eliminated such concerns. Such tacked down flap-like sections are susceptible to inadvertent opening, and in certain applications may not ensure sufficient restraint of the flap-like sections for use in high speed, handling and dispensing equipment.
A bag container construction that improves on prior designs with removable sections to reduce or eliminate the potential for such difficulties and inefficiencies, also provides an opportunity to obtain significant cost savings and a broader application of bag container, particularly in automated handling systems. In addition, a bag container that employs a removable section that is secured from inadvertent, unauthorized and accidental disclosure of printed indicia on, behind or under the removable section provides the opportunity to use such bags in new marketing and promotional applications where such bags previously have not been used.
In such marketing and promotional applications, it is often important to ensure that the printed indicia is only revealed at an appropriate time, such as at a retail store, before authorized representatives, or before or at time of purchase of products or services. In other applications, there must be some manner of identifying products that have been subject to tampering before or during the distribution process, i.e., before the products are received by the intended users. Bag containers such as those disclosed in the '541 UK Application with removable sections that are not secured or are only partially secured are unsuitable for such purposes.
Examples of such marketing and promotional uses include certain contests and discount marketing promotion programs, where playing pieces are distributed with a concealed message concerning a prize, a discount or further contest information. In prior efforts, multi-part paper tokens or playing pieces were commonly used for such efforts. The token or playing piece typically included an opaque upper paperboard or paper layer laminated to a lower printed layer carrying the contest or discount message. The upper layer was provided with perforations and was removed from the token along the perforations to reveal the underlying message on the bottom layer at an appropriate time.
In another example, a card section, paper section or other surface was coated with an opaque coating, typically a waxy ink or paint to conceal a message under the coating. The surface of the coating was then rubbed or scratched to remove the coating and to reveal the underlying message. Such coated products, however, have limited application to bag containers and involve additional expenses for the preparation of the surface and coated product. Those systems also tended to have an unattractive appearance and thus would not be accepted for certain applications due to aesthetic and marketing concerns. Such coatings also could be difficult to remove and were susceptible to inadvertent damage which resulted in disqualification of the playing piece. Thus, such multi-layer and coated playing pieces were rendered undesirable for certain marketing applications.
The invention provides an improved bag container construction and method utilizing an improved removable section suitable for use in a variety of applications. This includes use with high speed automated handling equipment and other applications where flaps, partially attached sections, and removable sections with exposed or free edges are undesirable. In addition, the bag container construction and method of the invention is adaptable for use in marketing efforts, promotional efforts or other applications where it is desirable or necessary to provide a hidden, obscured or otherwise fully or partially concealed message or design section with a removable cover or overlying sections. Such applications may include instances it is desirable to provide labels commonly used for promotions with a protective cover. In such applications, that protective cover also may be printed with further promotional or advertising indicia.
The method of the invention is usable with a variety of barrier materials including paper, treated paper, paper composites, paper-foiled laminates, certain polymeric barrier materials, and multi-ply barrier materials of a variety of compositions. The method permits the utilization of multiple printable surfaces to maximize the utility of a removable section without compromising the barrier properties and container properties of the bag construction. Furthermore, opaque ink and coatings can be applied to removable sections "in line" during production of the bag to conceal a marketing or promotional item without a separate step or process.
The invention further provides the option of forming a suitable removable section in a "wrap" or a section of sheet material that can be folded into a container or wrapped around products, including food products. In one aspect, the invention provides a wrap product made of multi-ply wrapping materials of paper, paper laminate, paper composites, certain polymers and other composite materials or other multi-ply wrap materials.